With voice recognition fast becoming the warehouse technology of the year, this podcast addresses the fundamentals anyone considering voice should know.

As a technology agnostic solutions provider, Zetes would like to stress that not all warehouses would benefit from using voice recognition.

For companies interested in exploring the extent to which voice could further optimise their supply chain, it is vital to consider the following questions before embarking upon a specification process.

1. How many picks per hour do you currently need to achieve? How many pickers do you employ? If the figure is low, voice may not be the right solution for your business.

2. How will your users respond to the technology? How could they be involved in the early phases of a project? (As is always the case with change programmes involving new technology user buy-in is absolutely essential to the overall success of the implementation).

3. Invest time at the outset to properly define the project. Be clear what you want to achieve from introducing voice picking? Have clear objectives and measurable outcomes.

4. Be creative, the benefits of voice technology are not confined to picking and put away applications. Consider voice assisted hybrid solutions which can be used on the shop floor, on voice dedicated or multimodal devices (i.e. combining voice with a keyboard and scanner). Multimodal operations are particularly beneficial, for instance, in goods-in, where, in the absence of blind checks, it can be difficult to process large shipments quickly. But merging both text and voice technology within a hybrid application and thus allowing the operator to check product codes but not item numbers is an effective solution.

5. Finally, seek advice from experts who are technology agnostic, and who will give advice based on the desire to resolve a business issue, implementing the right technology to solve that need.

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Established in 1997, Manufacturing & Logistics IT Magazine (LogisticsIT.com) is the leading specialist IT solutions magazine and web-site covering all aspects of end-to-end supply chains within a wide range of vertical markets. The editorial content covers real live applications within collaborative supply chain environments and has contribution from leading vendors and research analysts. This provides our readers with an insight into how technological developments enable all kinds of businesses to operate effectively and efficiently.